BRAVE police officers who came to the aid of a homeless man who was subjected to unprovoked assault in Worcester city centre have been honoured for their actions.
PC Alex Denny and PC Mark Broughton were commended for their professionalism, communication skills, compassion and support at the South Worcestershire Local Policing Area awards on Wednesday (May 18).
In August 2014, a homeless man was sitting on a pavement in Worcester when he was subjected to an shocking assault by another man and suffered serious facial injuries.
Whilst on foot patrol, PC Denny and PC Broughton were approached by a friend of the victim who had witnessed the attack.
The officers gained the trust of the victim and witness and gained evidence from both parties and a man was arrested for grievous bodily harm.
Due to witness evidence, medical evidence and a painstaking trawl through CCTV recordings which revealed the compelling footage of the attack, the suspect was charged and remanded into custody.
The officers supported both the victim and the witness throughout the trial at Worcester Crown Court and the attacker was sentenced to eight years in jail.
The awards were presented by Chief Constable David Shaw and Supt Kevin Purcell and saw a host of officers from the city honoured.
PC Nicola Nevin, PC Darryn Van Rooyen and PC Edward Jones were commended for their exemplary conduct in rescuing and protecting a vulnerable person from harm:
In March 2015, officers were called to reports for the welfare of a vulnerable man in a multi-storey car park in Worcester.
PC Nevin, PC Van Rooyen and PC Jones attended the scene and managed to get the man to safety and ensure he got the support he required.
PC Van Rooyen was again commended along with PC Daniel Smart for his actions in assisting with the capture of an offender while off-duty.
On August 18 last year, police received a number of reports in relation to a man in Worcester City Centre in possession of drugs.
One report made reference to him also being in possession of a firearm, the man ran off from police who attended the scene.
However PC Van Rooyen and PC Smart, who were off duty at the time, witnessed events and intervened and arrested the man while dealing with abuse
from another man who had involved himself in the incident.
As the officers were off-duty, they were without their police issue personal protection equipment but were praised for their quick-thinking which saw a large amount of drugs recovered.
The man was subsequently charged with possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and was sentenced to three years in a young offender’s institution.
Supt Kevin Purcell said it was ‘brilliant’ to see so many awards presented.
“They represent the hard work and tenacity that is characteristic of officers in Worcestershire and across the alliance as a whole.
“I’m extremely proud of the officers and want to congratulate them on their achievements,” he added.
